Trees up to 20 m tall; trunk up to 2 m d.b.h. Bark brownish-black, longitudinally peeling. Branches spreading, forming tiers. Branchlets dense, brownish-yellow tomentose near apex, densely covered with conspicuous leaf scars. Leaves alternate, crowded into pseudo whorls at apices of branchlets; petiole 0.5-2 cm, stout, tomentose; leaf blade obovate to oblanceolate, narrowed in proximal half, 12-30 × 8-15 cm, both surfaces glabrous or abaxially sparsely softly hairy when young, base narrow, cordate or truncate, apex obtuse or mucronate; lateral veins in 10-12 pairs.

Inflorescences axillary, simple, long, slender spikes, 15-20 cm, numerous flowered; axis shortly white tomentose. Flowers fragrant. Calyx tube distally cupular, 7-8 mm, abaxially white tomentose, densely so on the ovary, sparsely so on the cupular part, adaxially glabrous; lobes 5. Stamens 10, exserted, 2-3 mm.

Fruit not stipitate, red or blackish-green when ripe, ellipsoid, slightly to strongly compressed, strongly 2-ridged to narrowly 2-winged (wings to 3 mm wide), 3-5.5 × 2-3.5 cm, glabrous; pericarp woody, rigid. Fl. Mar-Jun, Oct, fr. May, Jul-Sep.